Pope Francis remained in critical condition Monday but showed slight improvement in laboratory tests and resumed some work, the Vatican said, including calling a parish in Gaza City that he has kept in touch with since the war there began.

Many who know him said that Francis, driven by a sense of mission and a discipline born of his early training, essentially worked himself into the hospital.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, will lead a public recitation of the rosary at 9 p.m. Feb. 24 in St. Peter’s Square.

ROME — Another woman is taking over a top management job in the Vatican : Sister Raffaella Petrini, an Italian nun, was named Saturday as president of the Vatican City State, making her essentially the governor of the 44-hectare (108-acre) territory in Rome that is home to the Catholic Church.

In a late update this evening, the Vatican said Pope Francis hadn't had any more respiratory crises since Saturday night, but was still receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen

Pope Francis is in critical condition on Saturday, the Vatican said in a statement.The 88-year-old has been hospitalized for over a week now, initially to treat

Pope Francis remained in critical condition Sunday, the Vatican said. Blood tests show initial, slight insufficiency in his kidney function, but the 88-year-old pontiff remains alert and well-oriented, the Vatican said. The Pope has been battling pneumonia and a complex lung infection.